Improving water productivity is a high priority for Australian agriculture, particularly given increased pressure on available water supplies.

NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is working with the Australian cotton industry to improve the improve the productive and sustainable use of available water.

This research, co-funded by DPI and the Cotton Research and Development Corporation, is exploring water productivity and sustainability gains achieved over the past two decades, while assisting growers in making water management decisions.

The latest results released in August 2022 have found:

• water productivity in the Australian cotton industry has doubled over 24 years
• the average water productivity in 2021 was 7% higher than the maximum achieved in 1998
• the industry's water sustainability indicator has doubled since 1997, with half as much water used to produce a bale of cotton in 2021 compared to water use in 1997